mixed

The work in this series is inspired by the healing properties of nature. I believe that art heals. I spend most of my time now in Laguna Beach. Helping my daughter, Kristin, and her family as she goes through clinical trial immunotherapy treatment at Moores Cancer Center-UCSD. My quiet morning walks on the beach, a meditative time for me, are inspired by delicate solitary shells, tangled kelp, water patterns, rock formations and floral masses. The watercolors paintings on Fabriano paper are constructed with transparent layers that I intend to convey a celebration of life and natural beauty.

My paintings are personal observations of color, movement, relationships and forms in nature. I prefer the watercolor medium, as I love paper. Painting on cold pressed Fabriano 100% cotton paper I build translucent, veiled glazes of color, allowing the forms and values to evolve in a detailed and orchestrated manner. I work in a series, which permits the wet color to dry thoroughly between layers. The images are not restricted by the paper’s edges. Every random mark is there because it needs to be there. The reputed “happy mistakes” (that watercolor legend reports often occur in this medium) are planned and controlled.

The spherical lines in my work are simple, bold, direct, sensual, playful, and often mysterious. The curve of the lines is influenced by my interest in calligraphy and recalls harmony, rhythm, movement, patterns, and symbolic metaphors. In my work the shapes exist independently and in groups, referencing water patterns, the cross-section of a shell, rounded rock forms, or the shape of a bud. My intention is not to impose a specific message to the viewer. I prefer my paintings will allow the viewer to observe a familiar object from a new perspective.

To view the full painting or a slideshow, please click on a thumbnail from the gallery above.

Archives

About

Jan Heaton is a third-generation visual artist. Her work is represented by Davis Gallery in Austin, The Hunt Gallery in San Antonio, Elizabeth Gordon Gallery in Santa Barbara, Marta Stafford Fine Art in Marble Falls, and Studio EL in San Francisco.